KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Athletics Department announced its VOLeaders Academy Class of 2018-19 on Monday.
The third annual collection of VOLeaders comprises 19 current student-athletes who represent 15 different sports.
The 2018-19 VOLeaders are: Caylan Arnold (softball), Matthew Butler (football), Ana Celaya (women’s swimming and diving), Spencer Cross (men’s golf), Owen Devine (men’s swimming and diving), Cheyenne Labruzza (football), Luc Lipcius (baseball), Tenika McGiffin (women’s tennis), Stanzi Moseley (women’s swimming), Maya Neal (soccer and women’s track and field), Josh Palmer (football), Annie Pelic (rowing), Andrew Rogers (men’s tennis), Kaitlin Staines (women’s tennis), Emily Sykes (women’s swimming and diving), Haley Wagner (women’s golf), Derrick Walker (men’s basketball), Evina Westbrook (women’s basketball) and Callie Williams (volleyball).
Those individuals will begin the program for this Fall 2018 semester.
“We could not be more excited to welcome our fourth cohort of student-athletes into the VOLeaders Academy, said Dr. Joe Scogin, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Assistant Provost and Director of the Thornton Center. “We have so many amazing student-athletes, that it continues to get more and more difficult to select our class. Our student-athletes and coaches have embraced the opportunity provided through VOLeaders and continue to ask for an even greater reach.
“This institution is grounded in servant leadership and it means something special to be a Volunteer. Our student-athletes continue to amaze and inspire us through the way they use their platform in sport to positively impact their sport teams, our athletic department, our institution, our community, and our world.”
ABOUT THE VOLEADERS ACADEMY
The University of Tennessee announced the inception of its VOLeaders Academy in July of 2015. The first-of-its-kind program is a dynamic partnership between the UT Center for Leadership and Service, the Center for Sport, Peace and Society and the Athletics Department.
The program is unlike any in the country, spanning the boundaries of three different areas of campus, from academics to student life and athletics. It partners athletics with two of the most unique and respected programs on campus for the development of the student-athletes.
By using their platform in sport, student-athletes admitted into the VOLeaders Academy learn how to positively impact their team, campus and local and global communities. The program aims to inspire student-athletes to find ways to use their passion of sport and their influence to enact positive change that transcends their athletic success.
Since 1968, the Torchbearer – UT’s official symbol – has borne silent witness to the university’s Volunteer Creed: “One that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.” The VOLeaders Academy takes that creed in action by engaging its participants in the understanding and development of servant leadership.
The Center for Leadership and Service, a department in the UT Division of Student Life, engages all students to lead and serve in the global community and directs leadership and service opportunities for the entire University student population.
The Center for Sport, Peace, and Society, housed in UT’s College of Education, is dedicated to promoting cultural diversity and empowering underserved populations through sport. It was the first research center in the United States to focus on the developing academic field of Sport for Development and Peace. In only their second year of existence, one of their key initiatives was named on the top 10 best diplomatic accomplishments in the world.
Participants are enrolled in two three-credit-hour courses in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. A Leadership in Sport course provides students with an understanding of their individual leadership styles, the practice of leadership in collegiate athletics and equips them with the foundational skills necessary to lead their teams, campus and communities, while a Sport for Social Change course teaches leadership principles, professionalism, critical thinking, and cross-cultural communication skills through sport-based service.
The final component of the VOLeaders Academy is a 10-day cultural exchange providing applied leadership and service opportunities focused on community development and social change through sport. International destinations vary each year.
In 2017, the second class of academy enrollees visited Vietnam, where they hosted several sports camps and toured historical sites. The 2016 class visited Brazil, site of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in partnership with the UT Center for Sport, Peace & Society.
For more information on The VOLeaders Academy, visit the website here.
For more information on the Center for Leadership & Service, refer to their website here.
For more information on the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society, refer to their website here.
UT Athletics
